I didn’t become a certified chef with a degree in social work to become Ashawo popular Cameroonian female MC Charlene based in Norway told Cwendoline Fonguh, of Delly TV a UK based entertainment media outfit.
During the Facebook live interview with Delly TV, Mc Charlene talked about the challenges she has had to overcome in the entertainment industry. The Norwegian based mc has revealed how she lost a juicy deal worth million in Cameroon last year because she did not want to go through the conditions surrounding the deal.
When asked by Delly TV about the condition surrounding the deal she lost in Cameroon, she said “I have pride, some promoters want to have you in their bed before signing a deal and I am not cut for that”
When asked about who paved the way for her in the industry?
“I won’t be wrong if I say nobody paved the way for me, but I give credit to promoters who booked me for shows.”
“In this industry, there is a lot of hate, and it has been tough. I hustle for shows, in 2018 I hosted over 30 shows across 15 cities in the world.”
“I hustle the shows myself with the support of a few others. When I started, I did shows for free which is normal in the entertainment industry, at times you have to start from zero”
“I also must commend the Nigeria promoters because most of the shows that I have done are mainly from the Nigeria promoters”
“When I am giving shoutouts to promoters and my fans it is basically Nigerians, they support me the most and that is the truth. My fanbase is basically 50% Nigerians and 4% Cameroonian”
Are you saying Cameroonians don’t support you?
“As I said before, 4% of my fans are Cameroonians, but it is very small compared to my Nigerian fans, I think there is so much hate among the Cameroonian, we don’t support ourselves, it’s hard to support each other.”
“The fact that I grew up in Norway makes it sometimes hard for me to understand why Cameroonians don’t support each other”.
“I was in Nigeria in 2018 and I had an interview on a Nigeria radio station, complained about the fact that Nigeria DJs don’t play Cameroonian music, and the interview went viral.”
“I got calls from my Nigerian DJ’s friends telling me that Cameroonian artists don’t connect with them and they don’t submit their songs.”
“I push a lot for Cameroonian artists, but I cannot do it alone, we have to support ourselves.”
Don’t you have friends among the Cameroonian Artists and DJ’s
“I am friends with a lot of Cameroonian artists, earlier this year I planned a tour with Mr. Leo, which was postponed because of the coronavirus.” I have worked with a lot of Cameroonian artists and I have plans to still work with many”
Have you dated an artist before?
“I have a lot of male friends who are artists but I don’t date artists, because I am very skeptical about dating artists and popular people. Although, I have once dated an artist in the past though but just for a short while. I build business relationships with artists, not sexual relationships.”
What has been your success secret?
“The secret to my success is my drive and my push, I have a team I work with, and I am always pushing them.” I am where I am today because of the push, the drive, and the will to achieve greatness.”
You are called the energy goddess, what gives you that energy when hosting shows?
“It is the music and the crowd that gives me that energy. When I am on stage, I try to give back that energy.”
How do you prepare for shows?
“When I have a show, I try to relax, I don’t like to mingle with people, because I want to keep my voice, I draw a map of the show in my head and relax. I make sure there is water and I don’t smoke”
How do you pick your outfit for your shows?
“My outfit depends on the show, but I try to be sexy because it’s all about being sexy.
Why the Red hair and it has become your signature?
“I love blond hair, though when I started, I used to wear black hair. I switch to blond hair, then red hair and I love it because it matches my energy”
What else do you do besides being an Mc?
“I am a social worker, a dance instructor, a certified chef and an entrepreneur. I own my own sport bran called ‘Sweat Like This Fitness’
How do you combine being an Mc and also a Social worker?
“I don’t like to mix my work, as a social worker I am Charlene Egbe and I don’t connect with them. I don’t even like people at work knowing what else I do for a living, at work, I don’t even wear makeup.”
“I am an environmental therapist. I work with people with a psychological and mental problem and I try to keep a low profile, and I try not to host shows in my city.”
Are you saying none of your co-workers know you as an Mc?
“well just a few, I was talking with a colleague at work one day and he googled me up, that was how he knew that I was an Mc and told others”
